Rules of Engagement
by Amaranth Adanae
Summary: Naru isn't a dating kind of guy. What sort of situation could ever prompt him to actually ask Mai out? Lin, to his regret, finds out. SPOILERS for Series and Novels. Now Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: This is a fanwork, for fun, not profit. I do not own Ghost Hunt; and claim no rights thereunto. Don't sic lawyers on me. Please.

Chapter 1

"Lin, what kind of place do you think Mai would like to go on a date?"

If he had been another kind of man, Lin Koujo's jaw would have dropped. At the very least, he would have blinked rapidly. But because he prided himself on being stoic and unflappable (he needed to be, in his capacity as Noll Davis's keeper), he simply paused in the doorway of his boss's office and wondered whether he was still asleep, or if his job had taken its predictable toll, and he had finally lost his mind.

Faced with his assistant's stunned silence, Naru (aka Shibuya Kazuya, Dr. Oliver Davis, Noll Davis, Narumi Kazu, and several other assorted pseudonyms) snorted and wheeled back to his computer.

"Forget I asked."

After a long moment of wondering if this was actually a topic he wanted to pursue, Lin gave in to his curiosity. It wasn't everyday, after all, that the aloof Naru deigned to ask questions related to anything other than supernatural business. To the best of his knowledge, it had never happened before. And _what_ a question!

"Is that an academic inquiry, or are you planning on taking her out?"

"I'm planning on asking her out." Naru turned and shot him a glare that dared him to make anything of it.

This time, Lin did blink. "Why, all of a sudden?" he asked.

Naru heaved a sigh, his shoulders hunching very slightly. "Because, after the last case, that Takori boy asked her out."

"She turned him down, didn't she?"

"Yes, but she might not turn the next one down."

"And…?" inquired Lin with raised brows.

"And, I don't want her dating anyone else. Her short attention span makes it difficult enough for her to focus on our cases as it is. She doesn't need anymore distraction."

Lin still felt rather adrift. Naru was usually relentlessly logical, but this argument had a peculiar, Lewis Carroll quality—it sort of sounded as though it _ought_ to make sense, but it really didn't. Not given the personalities involved. It was too much to take early on a Monday morning.

"And this translates to you asking her out how, precisely?"

Naru sighed again, and continued in his best condescending, lecturing-to-idiots tone. "Because I can't interfere in her personal life as her employer. But if I'm dating her myself, I have a perfect right to run off anyone else."

"It would bother you that much?"

Naru frowned, his chin propped on one hand, the fingers of the other hand beating a rapid tattoo on the desktop. Lin was a bit surprised; Naru never fidgeted unless he was thinking very deeply about something.

"Yes, I think so."

This conversation was going nowhere, but Lin was too curious to give up that easily. He tried another tact. "I didn't think you were interested in dating."

"I can think of nothing that interests me less," said Naru with a sigh.

"Then why…?"

"I'm not interested in going on dates. Wasting time in restaurants, stilted conversation, awkward pauses, unspoken expectations. The demand to be _romantic_. It's pointless, and silly, and a poor way to spend time with anyone that you actually like. Companionship shouldn't be artificially staged and coerced."

"But weren't you dating Hara-san?"

"Those weren't dates; those were blackmail. They don't count." The phrase '_And someday I am going to make her regret them dearly_' hung unspoken on the air. Lin decided he wasn't going anywhere near that one. He gave it one more stab; if they didn't clear this up, it would be lingering all day.

"So…," he prompted.

"There's a British adage I'm sure you are familiar with. 'Fish or cut bait.' Even I realize it's unreasonable to be a dog-in-the-manger. If I'm not willing to go out with Mai myself, I have to step aside and let her take advantage of other invitations. I can't do that, so I have to ask her out, whether or not it suits me."

Now that was Naru logic, thought Lin. Cool, precise, technically correct, and yet utterly arrogant and self-centered.

"Do you know why I hired Mai?" asked Naru suddenly.

Lin shook his head. "No. I always wondered."

"She likes ghost stories," said Naru with a faint smile. "The very first time I met her, she and her friends were telling ghost stories. For the others, it was just a game. But Mai…she was really interested. I could have gone into any kind of psychic research. Laboratory research of ESP and PK would have made the most sense, really. Given…what I am. But it was the supernatural that really interested me. Human psychics—that's just evolution at work. Hauntings, though. They are puzzles. So many things to consider, so many pieces, so many explanations. Each one is a mystery. You never know when you may encounter something entirely new. Mai appreciates that."

Naru paused, and stretched a little. "It was a whim, really. You were injured, and I didn't feel like setting up all the equipment myself. You should have seen her glare," said Naru reminiscently. "Like a cat, all indignant and hissing, but feeling guilty as anything. Teasing her was irresistible. And I had a feeling…nothing solid, really. Little things. She saw through me, from the outset. Her little friends saw a good-looking guy, and didn't think about anything else—but Mai knew there was something off. It could have just been good observation—but then she pulled the name 'Naru' out of the air. Maybe just a coincidence, but…I wondered."

"I'm still not sure what the hell her psychic abilities are, you know," he continued. "'Clairvoyance'—it's an utterly imprecise term, but it's about all I've got. She pulls knowledge out of nowhere. She has prophetic dreams. She can travel out of body. Sometimes she sees and senses spirits, sometimes she doesn't. And it's starting to look like she may be a decent exorcist. It isn't psychometry, it isn't telepathy, it isn't even entirely empathy. It's the damnedest talent I've ever encountered—I can't figure out how she does what she does, knows what she knows. Every time I think I've got an explanation, she pulls another rabbit out of her hat. She defies traditional categorization. And I don't think we've seen her limits yet."

"Are you interested in Mai as a girlfriend, an assistant, or a research subject?" asked Lin dryly.

"They aren't mutually exclusive," replied Naru unapologetically. "Wouldn't you think that a relationship that serves multiple purposes would be more likely to endure? It's only logical—as a consumer, you select the option that suits most of your needs. The more functions it serves, the more it justifies itself. That's the way you would choose a cell phone, a car, even a piece of furniture—why not a girlfriend?"

Lin wasn't great at personal relationships himself—a loner by nature, he avoided human contact when it was at all feasible—but even he was staggered by _that_ degree of calculation.

"I would avoid phrasing your interest in those terms to Mai," he remarked, still more dryly. "It is not particularly endearing."

Naru snorted. "Thank you, I already knew that. Logic never was Mai's strong suit. It would be amusing to see her reaction, but strategically, it would be self-defeating."

He turned back to his desk, examined an entry in one of his ubiquitous black notebooks, and riffled through a manila file. "If you don't have anything useful to suggest, then let me get back to work. I have some ideas, and some leads to follow up, but they need a bit more work."

Involuntarily, Lin's eyes went wide. "You mean that file is on _Mai_? You started a file for _that_?"

"Yes, of course. I want to succeed, don't I? So I'm approaching it in an organized manner. It shows that I'm taking it seriously," replied Naru. One might almost, if one didn't know Naru, think his tone was a trifle defensive.

"And if you do succeed? What on earth would you do with a girlfriend?" Lin was still reeling, unable to process the concepts of _Naru_ and _girlfriend_ together in any sort of meaningful way.

Naru regarded his assistant with a certain gleam in his eye that reminded Lin that, introverted genius or not, he was still a seventeen year old male. "Oh, I'll think of something."

Lin made a strangled noise, and bolted out the door, saving himself the necessity of replying. He needed tea, immediately. Very strong tea. Or something stronger. Like vodka. Or strychnine.

Naru regarded the now-empty doorway quizzically, and then shrugged and returned to his contemplation of his neat files. Some days, he just didn't understand people, even relatively sane people, like Lin.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt; this is a fanwork intended purely for entertainment.

Chapter 2:

"Konnichiwa," sang Mai as she stepped into the offices of Shibuya Psychic Research. She was in a good mood. It was a beautiful day, and for once, not even the hyper-critical Naru could claim she was late. She laid her satchel down beside the desk and scurried to the kitchenette to set the kettle to boil before Naru surfaced to demand his morning tea. Honestly, it would save time if she could just hook him up an IV drip from a big urn.

She met Lin-san exiting the kitchen.

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully.

Lin shied away from her, wild-eyed, and muttered something incomprehensible as he hurried down the hallway, clutching a full cup of tea as though it was his one hope of salvation.

_Ouch. Naru-chan must be in fine form this morning,_ thought Mai, _if he has managed to reduce the usually unflappable Lin to a wreck this early_. Lin had been, if not friendly, at least a good bit more cordial in recent months. She was fairly certain that whatever was bothering him, it didn't have anything to do with her. It had to be Naru. It was always Naru—Mai didn't know anyone else who could cause so much chaos without ever being the slightest bit ruffled, himself.

_Speaking of_….Mai finished preparing his tea, and had set the fine china cup on a tray with the deftness of long practice by the time the irritable call of, "Mai, occha," drifted from her boss's office.

"Hai, hai," she grumbled without heat. "I'm coming." She carefully backed into the office, using her hip to push the door open before turning to carefully set the tray in its accustomed spot on Naru's desk. Naru, of course, didn't thank her, or even really acknowledge her; he seemed to be absorbed in his documents. Mai didn't take it personally—she had grown used to Naru's quirks. She had the sneaking suspicion that, despite his attempts to appear to be the ultimate professional ready to work at any time, Naru wasn't really a morning person. He was uncommunicative until about 10:30, when the tea kicked in and he became more willing to put some effort into verbalization. This usually took the form of a condescending lecture, but she didn't even mind that anymore. If she put aside her annoyance and listened, she actually learned a lot. Naru could be obnoxious, true, but he knew his stuff.

Mai retreated from Naru's lair and busied herself with filing at her desk. She was hard at work when the outer door opened and Hara Masako drifted in.

"Good morning, Masako-chan," greeted Mai. Relations between the two girls were fraught, at the best of times, but that was no reason to disregard the social amenities. It wasn't that she disliked Masako; in many ways, she admired her. The medium was very good at what she did, and was relentlessly honest in standing by her abilities. An outsider might assume that Mai resented her prettiness and her fame, but really Mai saw her as a slightly pathetic figure. Masako always seemed so isolated. She was, Mai suspected, drawn to the SPR offices not simply by her crush on Naru but also for the same sense of fellowship, of family, almost, that drew the others.

They didn't use the SPR's reception area as a combination café/lounge, as a bitter Naru was inclined to claim. Well, not entirely. They were all people set slightly apart. Bou-san by his abilities as an exorcist that his band mates and fans considered sort of cool, but also rather weird. Ayako-san, the poor little rich girl who talked to tree spirits and didn't quite fit into any easy category. John Brown-san because, well, because he was a very young, very Caucasian Catholic priest wandering around Japan with a Kanto accent and a name like 'John Brown.' Yasuhara-kun, where to start? On the outside, he had been the perfect student and leader of the student body, but his fellow students regarded him with a touch of wariness as a sort of authority figure, a buffer between them and the harsh teachers and school administrators. Who could have known that inside lurked an irreverent troublemaker?

The motley group around Naru felt free to be unconventional, because Naru himself would always manage to be so much more unconventional than they were. Mai was fairly convinced Naru had no idea what the conventions _were_, wouldn't recognize them if they were carefully marked on one of his precious maps, and wouldn't waste any time on them if someone was tactless enough to point them out. In a relentlessly conventional society like that of Japan, you rarely found a person as unapologetically indifferent to social codes as Naru—it was kind of refreshing, actually. Like a dip in frigid ice water in the middle of summer. Initially painful, but eventually you came to appreciate it.

"Is Shibuya-san in?" Masako ignored her greeting, barely waiting for Mai's weak affirmative before sweeping towards Naru's office and darting inside after a brief tap on the door.

Mai shrugged philosophically. She had been on the verge of warning Masako that Naru seemed to be in a difficult mood—it wasn't her fault if Masako got the sharp side of Naru's tongue. She had once feared that Naru cared for Masako, and certainly the medium herself had gone out of her way to foster that impression, but the revelations of Naru's background and of Masako's jealousy of _her_ had pretty much dissolved that concern. If Masako was silly enough to use Naru's secret to coerce him into dates, she certainly didn't understand him very well. Masako herself admitted that she relied on her beauty and talent to make up for a less than amiable personality, and though he was sinfully good-looking himself, Naru was remarkably indifferent to looks in other people. Talent was a different matter, but Naru surrounded himself with talent. Masako's didn't particularly stand out among them. In fact, Masako was among the less useful members of the group—she often failed to come up with anything, and did have an unfortunate habit of injuring herself in the process.

Less than ten minutes later, the door to Naru's office flew open and Masako sped out in tears. She rushed past, her face hidden behind a sleeve, and was out the main door before Mai, frozen with her mouth agape and a file held in midair, could stop her. Mai's first impulse was to go after her, but she reconsidered. In matters pertaining to Naru, Mai was probably the last person Masako wanted to see.

_Wow, Naru is really on a roll today_, thought Mai. _What's next? Offending the easy going John Brown? Managing to poke a hole in Ayako-san's sense of self-worth? Rendering Yasuhara-kun speechless? _

Nah, not even Naru could manage the impossible. If Yasuhara encountered Satan himself and a band of devils in the hallway, he would politely inquire if they had a hall pass, and serenely direct them to the principal's office to get one.

With a mental shrug, Mai headed for the kitchenette. If she knew her boss, and she was afraid she was beginning to, she knew what was coming. She was unsurprised by the voice that came floating out of the open office door Masako-chan had failed to close behind her.

"Mai, tea."

Next Chapter: So, what did Naru do to set Masako off? A Naru point-of-view introspective piece! Naru's mind…talking about a twisted, dark, scary place…

Author's Note: Thank you to everyone for such kind reviews!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three:

Disclaimer: I _still_ don't own Ghost Hunt, I'm just playing with the characters for fun, not profit. I'll return them _mostly_ undamaged, I promise!

Chapter Three:

_Well, that went about as well as I would have expected. At least she didn't manage to fall down any stairs_, thought Naru ruefully.

Naru regarded the now-empty doorway through which Masako had precipitously fled, moments before, with a mix of emotions. Relief was fairly high up the list, as were exasperation and annoyance. Guilt and remorse were conspicuously absent; he refused to acknowledge the tiny, niggling concern about the interpretation Mai's hasty little brain would put on Masako's melodramatic exit.

There was even a touch of savage satisfaction, but Naru didn't feel like acknowledging that one, either. It didn't square with his own perception of himself. He had been fully aware of the 'rivalry' between Masako and Mai, which was less about him and more about the fact that they simultaneously had too much and too little in common with one another. He disliked Masako's cattiness, and her coy, insinuating manner; he could guess the sort of put-downs and petty insults she had treated Mai to during the course of their acquaintance. There was a certain shameful pleasure in the thought that he had just repaid all those slights tenfold.

Naru despised the Japanese concept of a 'Confession of Love.' It was saccharine, self-indulgent, and maudlin. If the object of affection returned the feelings, they would have acted on them already; if they didn't, the whole scene did nothing but make both parties feel rotten. It was nothing but an excuse for teenage girls to dramatize their emotions and act like characters out of a soap-opera. The British approach to such things was much more sensible; you kept unrequited love to yourself and saved everyone the awkwardness and embarrassment. If you were interested in someone, there were all sorts of ways to indicate that interest without committing to anything or actually admitting to deep feelings. You didn't go around _emoting_ all over the place, or risk mentioning love except in the context of an established relationship. A much better system for saving face.

What, after all, had Masako expected him to say? 'Thank you, I appreciate your feelings, but I can't return them?' That was the formulaic response in this situation, but he'd be damned if he was going to mouth it. He sure as hell wasn't thankful, and he didn't appreciate her feelings—he resented them. They had caused him far too much trouble, and were making it a bit awkward, now, for him to move forward with Mai. He thought his, "Of course not," accompanied by a slightly surprised lift of a brow was a fairly generous response, considering.

He had put up with quite a bit from her, because he had a moderate respect for her abilities. She was one of the best mediums in Japan, and about as good as he could hope for. She was no Gene, but then….no one else was. He didn't actually like working with another medium; it made him feel disloyal in some illogical fashion. Part of his apathy for Masako, initially, resulted from the fact that her ability reminded him in uncomfortable ways of his brother. He had gone out of his way to be polite and pleasant to make up for that unfair bias, and that had been a mistake. After he got past his initial apathy, he learned to dislike her more deeply for her own sake. She was pushy, and used her traditional, ultrafeminine persona to try and coerce him into acting like a gentleman. He liked her much better when she was being blunt and stubborn; that he could respect. Masako saw him as the perfect complement to her own self-image; handsome, competent, successful, reserved, and intelligent. He resented her assumption that she knew exactly what he wanted, and that they fit together, before she knew anything about him beyond the superficial.

He didn't like his own suspicion that they had more in common than he was particularly comfortable with. He was focused (Mai would, perhaps, substitute the phrase 'ruthlessly single-minded') and perhaps he didn't always coddle people's feelings the way they expected him to when he had a case, or a goal in sight. Not unless he had to, in order to achieve a particular end. Since Mai, he hadn't even had to make the attempt to be pleasant to invite confidences from clients and witnesses—she was so much better at it then he, he could just stand back and leave her to it, jotting down the information she was able to extract so effortlessly. Occasionally, he cut in with a sharp question, but generally it was more effective to lurk in the background and let her warm sympathy do its work.

But in Masako, he could see how…offputting…a total lack of empathy and a ruthless focus could be. And the others considered Masako to be _more_ human and approachable than he was. It didn't paint a pretty picture of their perception of him. He went to some pains to present a front of cool, rational intelligence—he couldn't afford not to have his emotions under control. When he lost his temper, the results could be…messy. For him, and the people around him. And for his equipment, and for the possessions of whatever unlucky homeowner or business proprietor whose property he happened to be on. So, really, just a situation better avoided for all concerned.

It had been different back in the UK, when…Gene was still alive. He hadn't really worried what anyone had thought of him, because he had always been able to assure himself that Gene understood him, and knew that when he was distant, or snappish, it was because he was just thinking deeply about something else, or was worried, or just tired. His family had, well, maybe not _understood_ him, but valued him anyway, and both they and the people at the British SPR knew enough of his background to view him as a bit more human. For good and ill.

It had been liberating to come to Tokyo, and to make up a new name for himself. He had come to find Gene, of course…but it had been a respite to get away from the people who bracketed them together, who couldn't see him without thinking "poor Noll, who had lost his twin." It was an escape from 'Dr. Oliver Davis,' part of the Davis family, embedded in the trappings and the authority of the SPR. From his own myth. He could start over, shape a new image.

He was rather pleased with 'Shibuya Kazuya,' all things considered. Naru. He had learned a lot about showmanship since his younger days. There wasn't much you could put over on people who have known you since you were eight, but here, there was no need to tell his ghost hunters here from whence he got all his information. If they believed it was all deduction, rather than a healthy dose of intuition with a bit of psychometric knowledge, well, Lin wasn't going to tell. His black wardrobe had started out as mourning for his brother, but he found it rather suited him. He liked to be the mysterious loner, for a change. Not that he got the chance to be much of a loner; he hadn't been able to slip Lin's leash for more than a few hours since they arrived (other than the time Lin spent in the hospital, another thing to thank Mai for).

But he was coming to realize that he had to be careful how far he pushed his persona, even with his ill-assorted group of colleagues (he wouldn't call them _friends_, not even in his most secret, innermost thoughts). Back in the UK, he was surrounded by people tied to him by history, by family, by formal association. Here, his allies were bound by their own inclinations—their personal respect for him, interest in the paranormal, and whatever weird affinity held their circle together. They could leave at any time, and he was becoming uneasily aware that it would hurt to see any of them go. Even Masako. Well, maybe not Masako. But Takigawa was one of the most skilled Buddist monks he had ever encounted, not just spiritually powerful, but also creative and open minded. John was an incredibly effective exorcist (even if Naru sometimes thought a super-soaker would be a more effective way for him to dispense the gallons of holy water involved). And Mai….

Naru sighed. Interpersonal relationships were so difficult. He'd take dealing with a demonic possession, or a poltergeist, over having to deal with other people any day. Frowning, Naru returned to his notes. Difficult or not, he had to plan things just right. This mattered too much to afford any mistakes.

Next Chapter: Naru puts his plan in motion. Mai is confused, and Lin sits back to enjoy the show. Popcorn, anyone?

Author's Notes: No, I really don't think Masako is that dumb or masochistic. But Naru's probable reaction to a Love Confession was too good to pass up. Tell me it isn't true!


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **Still don't own it. Please don't sue.

**Chapter 4**

"Mai," came the call from Naru's office.

Mai was already moving towards the kitchenette. Fortunately, she already had a kettle near boiling. She was startled to look up to see him leaning against the doorframe of his office. He seldom bothered to get up to request tea—he usually just called out through the door.

"Be ready to go at 2:30," said Naru.

"Huh?" Mai was taken aback; she was fairly certain she hadn't known that they were going anywhere. They weren't working on a case currently; no one had been into the office this morning; no one had called the main number, and she would have heard a ring on Naru's private line.

Naru uncrossed his arms and pushed off the doorframe with a sigh. "Lecture. The one on the social construction of spirits in Japanese myths and folklore at the Anthropology Department of the University. It starts at 3:00, so we need to get going at 2:30."

With that, Naru retreated into his office and closed the door with a firm click, leaving Mai gazing after him in bewilderment. Okay, she was occasionally a little absentminded, but she was fairly sure this was the first she had heard about any talk at the University. It sounded interesting, but…

Mai swung around in response to a muffled sound behind her; it sounded a bit like a stifled snort. She caught no more than a brief glance of black as Lin vanished into his office with undignified haste. Mai narrowed her eyes. That confirmed it—there was definitely something going on. She briefly considered her two options, glancing at Naru's firmly closed door, and down the hall where Lin had retreated. Coming to a decision, she poured a fresh cup of tea and left it to steep while arranging a few sugar cookies on a plate. Placing the tea and the cookies on a tray, she approached Lin's door. Tapping boldly, she entered at his slight affirmative noise.

Lin eyed the tray with as much enthusiasm as he would rat poison. He recognized bait when he saw it. With a sigh, he gave into the inevitable and, briefly nodding thanks, took a sip of the tea and nibbled the edge of a cookie. If he was going to have to suffer through an interrogation, he should at least enjoy the tea Mai provided as an opening gambit. He had the feeling he was going to need the sustenance.

"Lin," inquired Mai, "do you know anything about a lecture this afternoon?"

Ah, so that was Naru's first stage in the campaign. "Which lecture?" he asked, while rapidly considering the best course of action. Sticking to the truth without admitting to any knowledge of anything pertaining to Naru, he thought, would probably be the safest thing to do.

"Um, one about folklore at the University, at 3pm." answered Mai.

"Ah, yes. I believe I received an announcement a few weeks ago," he responded. Naru, he mused inwardly, had been thinking about this for a while.

"Naru said something about being ready to go at 2:30. Were you planning to go?" she asked.

"No. I have some paperwork, and a good bit of research to do this afternoon, and I don't think there will be any information I don't already know presented."

"Well, Naru seemed to think we were going. That it had been planned out a while ago. Did he say anything about it?" she continued, a little desperately.

"No, I don't recall him mentioning it," answered Lin truthfully. Naru, he thought, had planned things brilliantly. Instead of _asking_, and risking being turned down, he had not only taken Mai's acceptance for granted, but also phrased the invitation in such a way that she assumed it was something she should already know about. It was a tactic he had seen Naru use on Mai many times before. She was suggestible, and still rather awed by Naru no matter how hard she tried not to be. It would never occur to her to openly challenge Naru—even if she had no memory of assenting, she would still go along. It wasn't a strategy that Naru could use too often, but this one outing would set a precedent, and he would build off of it. Lin would wager any amount that after the lecture, Mai would find herself dragged off to a tea shop and quizzed on what she had picked up during the lecture. After a prudent interval, there would be another event—something vaguely work related, but later in the afternoon, maybe even early evening. That one would get discussed over dinner. The occasions would gradually get less work related, and then would get discarded altogether. By the time Mai realized it, they would have been dating for a month or two, at which point Naru would raise an eyebrow and ask why she thought he had been asking her to go places with him. A confused Mai would probably not recover from the shock enough to point out that he had never really _asked_.

But then, asking had never been Naru's style. He swept people along with his plans, will they or nil they.

Next Chapter: The plot…deepens? Can something this shallow deepen? Maybe it thickens….sort of congeals, like cold gravy. Anyway, it continues, in some fashion.

Author's Note: Thank you to all who have reviewed!


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Still not mine, though Christmas is coming…maybe in my stocking?

Chapter 5:

The next few weeks showed that though Lin knew Naru well, he had underestimated his patience. Or his deviousness. Or possibly just his love for a complex scheme and his desire to draw out the fun as long as possible. This was, after all, the young genius who had turned the search for his brother's body into a quest that lasted over a year and involved an assumed identity, an overseas relocation, a brand new office for the investigation of paranormal and supernatural phenomenon, and a cast of, if not thousands, at least a solid dozen. Naru never did anything by halves.

The next outing was a morning jaunt: Naru had Mai come in early, bringing doughnuts and danishes from an expensive European bakery with her. They had spent the morning plotting an impromptu investigation of the locales on a local ghost tour over tea and pastries; Naru claimed to have heard rumors that some of the visitors had, in fact, experienced paranormal activity at a few of the sites. Or, rather, Naru plotted while Mai took notes, gathered equipment, and received instructions. She muttered, but she actually quite enjoyed herself—Mai had never had the time or funds for something as frivolous as a ghost tour, and she frankly had fun even while periodically measuring the temperature and jotting down the electromagnetic readings Naru gathered. They ended up tallying up the findings over lunch. When Mai asked they weren't working out of the office, and why Lin wasn't along, Naru cheerfully lied, explaining that Lin had thought the plan silly. Lin had, in fact, not even been told—his first inkling regarding the latest development in Naru's operation was an uninformative scrawled note that essentially told his assistant that he had business to take care of, and would be back in the office in the afternoon.

Lin drew his own conclusions when a bubbling Mai arrived back at the office and cheerfully told him that they had discovered two new locations that might be worth looking into—an old hotel with a high level of electromagnetic activity in which unexplainable sounds had been reported, and a dark corner of an old park that was colder than the warm June temperature would account for. Rumor had it that a ghostly woman in an elaborate kimono waited there, on a park bench, for her lost son. They were, she explained happily, planning a further expedition to examine the park further later in the week, if nothing more interesting turned up.

Lin turned a sapient eye on Naru, who had followed Mai into the office wearing a self-satisfied expression that might almost, on Naru, be termed 'smug.' Lin was just glad that the park ghost was the one getting a follow-up; there was no way he was letting Naru cavort around a haunted hotel alone with the girl he had designs on. The gleam in Naru's eye suggested that he knew _exactly_ what was running through Lin's mind, and was amused by it. Really, for all his brilliance, Naru was more of a teenager than Lin had realized.

Nothing more interesting presented itself, and the investigation of the park duly took place. They detected nothing but a faint, lingering trace of coldness and sadness; Naru suggested that there had been some sort of spirit, but that it had moved on. His psychometry had given him a brief flash, but he couldn't make heads or tails of it—two young men, one on his knees, eyes tearful behind wire rimmed spectacles, the other standing over him clad in traditional _hakama _and _gi,_ holding a bow. Maybe the tearful young man had been the woman's son, and the archer had done away with him? He filed the case away with a mental shrug. It had served its purpose. Mai had prepared a picnic lunch, and they had spent a pleasant hour discussing possibilities and eating under a tree in the park.

It was fortunate that the usual crowd hadn't been present when they returned from the picnic—Naru wasn't looking forward to the time when Takigawa, Yasuhara, and Ayako caught on. John Brown wouldn't be a problem. The priest was too nice, too unworldly, or possibly just too oblivious to call him on anything. Masako was a non-issue, now. She would be avoiding all of them, after that last scene. But the other three…there was no way they would be able to resist teasing Mai. Or, more likely, especially in Yasuhara's case, teasing _him_ in front of Mai. And once the issue was brought up, Mai's unquestioning cooperation would end.

Naru's luck held for another week; he managed to get in another lecture unmolested by his cohort. This one, a weak attempt to apply western post-modern analysis to eastern magic, was useless in intellectual terms, but useful for getting Mai used to spending time with him, and moderately entertaining.

"Where did he get that interpretation from, _The Golden Bough_? He's using scholarship that's several decades out of date and developed to explain cultural phenomenon on another continent," Naru had muttered under his breath. He held his tongue, with difficulty, during the question and answer session, partly in response to Mai's pleading look, and partly to avoid drawing any attention.

Naru's luck ran out after a visit to a local museum to look at an exhibition of the portrayals of spirits in Japanese art; when they returned to the office, the whole crowd, minus Masako, was present. It was, to Naru's mind, awkward timing. The next outing he had planned was distinctly closer to a 'date'—he was planning to take Mai to see a new horror film, based on a classic ghost story, which had just been released. He had perfectly good justifications; he tried to keep abreast with the current popular culture portrayals of the supernatural, as they tended to shape the form that frauds took. Also, they provided suggestion that could mold the unconscious manifestations of unaware psychics. The combination of a movie and dinner, however, was distinctly closer to a traditional date than anything he essayed before.

His first gambit was the classic 'refusal to acknowledge that there was anything out of the ordinary.' It was made harder by the fact that Bou-san and Ayako's gazes riveted on him like pointers who had scented game; Yasuhara didn't help matters any by offering a beatific grin and asking if they had a pleasant afternoon.

"It was productive," replied Naru shortly.

"Oh, where did you go? Lin said he wasn't sure what your errand was."

Naru shifted his glare from Yasuhara's beaming smile towards the hallway, where a black shadow had been lurking. He caught a flash of black as his rat of an assistant scurried back into his lair; no help from that quarter. Left to his own devices, he would have lied through his teeth, but there was no use hoping that Mai would fall in with any pretence he offered. Suggestible she might be, but she was also inherently, relentlessly honest. She couldn't keep up a decent fiction if her life (or his) depended on it.

No help for it—he was going to have to tell them the truth, put a casual face on it, and create a distraction and retreat, extracting Mai as well, before the gossipy trio was able to get anything substantial out of her. It was, alas, implausible to hope to keep Mai away from them long term, but fortunately she didn't actually know anything about his goals. What she didn't know, she couldn't tell; she would pour out her confusion over what her narcissistic boss had been doing. Bou-san and Ayako would commiserate that he was inexplicable and happily tear his character to shreds for a while, but Yasuhara actually had the brains to put things together.

So, he needed to get rid of Yasuhara for a while. At least until the critical phase was passed. His mind mulled over possibilities. Meanwhile, Bou-san had, as expected, proceeded with the usual teasing.

"So, were you out on a date with jou-chan, Naru-bou?" inquired the monk jovially, with a teasing smile. Mai was instantly covered in blushes, but Naru replied coolly.

"Just work. _I'm_ not the one with the thing for schoolgirls."

That lure was too much for Ayako to resist. She immediately turned on Takigawa, chortling and calling him a dirty old man. He replied in kind, and Naru was able to make a dignified exit, Mai in tow, while the miko throttled the monk. Yasuhara looked on, interest gleaming behind his glasses. Naru set Mai to sort files in one of the side offices where the others wouldn't think to look for her (he was fairly sure they didn't know the side offices were there), and retreated behind his own closed door.

Next Chapter: What to do with a problem like Yasuhara? Naru has some ideas. Yasuhara point-of-view.

Author's notes: Cookies to anyone who spots the nod to another series in this chapter! And 65 reviews! Thanks to everyone for such nice comments.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Yes, this is _still_ a work of fanfiction, for entertainment, not profit. I don't own, please don't sue, etc.

Chapter 6

Yasuhara wasn't sure why Naru had felt the need to distract Ayako and Bou-san, but it confirmed his suspicion that something was up with the Narcissicist. Shibuya-san's usual response to Bou-san's needling would be to heave a sigh, roll his eyes, and either ignore him or call them back to order, as the situation warranted, with the air of being the sole adult in a room full of rowdy brats. The only explanation that presented itself was that the monk's comment was too close to the truth.

Intriguing. Did that mean that Naru actually was interested in Mai, and was using the pretext of work to insinuate himself into Mai's life by slow degrees? That sounded like something that he would do, once you got past the actual 'dating' part of things. And the being interested in another human being part. Well, okay, it was unlikely. But something was up, and Yasuhara, as a good investigator in-training, couldn't in good conscience leave it alone. Plus, he was really nosy.

He shot a quick email to his mentor, to see if she knew what was afoot, but Madoka was as much in the dark as he. She did agree that Naru's behavior sounded suspicious; there was nothing in her better knowledge of his character that suggested the Narcissist would drag his assistant to lectures and art exhibits out of altruistic motives. He had the occasional charitable impulse, but he only indulged it if it didn't inconvenience him too much; usually, they ended up benefiting him as much as the recipient. Madoka declared herself mystified, wished him luck with his investigation, and ordered him to keep her updated on the latest developments.

Mai was the obvious source for information. She loved to talk, and was in the habit of using him as a sounding board for sorting out her thoughts as they worked. He would quickly get whatever she knew out of her, and while Naru wouldn't have told her much, he might not have been particularly cagy about masking his motives with her. Naru knew as well as he did that Mai seldom saw below the surface of people's behavior. She didn't need to; her intuition told her who she needed to avoid. Besides, Yasuhara had observed that Naru tended to drop his formidable guard a few degrees around Mai. She, with Lin, formed the select circle of people that he wasn't wary around.

A quick prowl of the office revealed a line of uninformative closed doors; Naru must have stashed Mai someplace. Yasuhara knew his boss well enough to know that he wasn't going to get a tete-a-tete with Mai if Naru had decided that he wouldn't, so he gave up for the day and headed home.

He arrived at the SPR bright and early the next morning, to find that Naru had already departed the scene, with Mai in tow. Yasuhara winced in sympathy—Naru must have wanted to keep him away from Mai pretty badly to get going that early; he was doubtless in a foul mood. Yasuhara didn't envy Mai dealing with grouchy Early Morning Naru. Lin was waiting for him in the reception area, with directions to a private occult library housed in a shrine. It had been accumulated by the late head priest, a man well known for his knowledge of the supernatural. Naru had secured permission to send a representative to take a look at the collection.

It was a long, tiresome trip across town on the subway to reach the shrine, located in a quiet, residential district. The shrine itself was moderately large, and immaculately well cared for. A tall, handsome boy in traditional hakama and gi was sweeping the courtyard when he approached. The boy looked up, his amber eyes disconcertingly sharp and watchful, but he relaxed once Yasuhara explained his errand. He nodded, and conducted Yasuhara to the library, explaining briefly that the late head of the shrine had been his grandfather. The boy was not, apparently, one to waste words—he was even less talkative than pre-tea Naru.

The library, housed in a separate building with an insignia of crossed arrows over the door, was meticulously neat and tidy. There was none of the dust and grime that Yasuhara had feared, and the atmosphere was light and airy. The collection, however, was HUGE, and his eyes ached just imagining how cramped the script on some of them would be. It would take days to make even a cursory survey of all of this—a fact he was pretty sure Naru had realized perfectly well.

The boy left him with a sharp admonition to be careful with the materials; the look accompanying the command suggested that any damages to his grandfather's precious collection would be taken out of his hide. Yasuhara raised his hands in reassuring protest, but the boy was gone before he had finished. Apparently, interpersonal communication just wasn't his thing.

Sighing, Yasuhara opened a notebook and turned to a shelf with the feeling of Sisyphus facing a big old boulder and a steep hill. It _really_ wasn't a good idea to get in Naru's way—the ruthless bastard was _evil_.

Next Chapter: Naru's plan enters the critical phase! With Yasuhara out of the way, Naru braces himself for an encounter with pop culture.

Authors notes: Cookies for miss koneko, nebulia, Azamiko, Lynna, and AngelMiko289! They correctly spotted the xxxHolic cameo—and yes, Yasuhara doing research in Doumeki Haruka's library. I couldn't resist!


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction; no copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 7

Naru was pleased with himself. He had gotten Yasuhara out of the way painlessly (well, painlessly for HIM), and he might even get some useful information out of the shrine's library—a win-win situation. He didn't envy Yasuhara dealing with that library, it sounded extensive, with some really old materials. He really was interested in what was in there, but his own skill in reading kanji just wasn't up to dealing with it. Yet. He was working on it—such a limitation chafed at him. On one hand, it was rather pleasant to have Mai read the texts he couldn't decipher to him; on the other, it was embarrassing.

His pleasure at confounding Yasuhara almost made up for the ungodly hour, as he whisked a sleepy, yawning Mai out the van after giving final instructions to Lin. He snickered inwardly as he imagined Yasuhara's expression when faced with the task. Lin was a little apprehensive about letting Naru loose, unsupervised, on Tokyo in the van—Naru hadn't been driving all that long, and his style was more élan that precision.

The case was one he wouldn't have dreamed of taking, if he didn't really want an excuse to be out of the office. It only took a few hours to confirm that the old apartment building was not haunted—the strange whispering and gurgling noises some of the residents heard could be attributed to the old piping, which had several insecure connections. A bit of duct tape and an adjuration to call a proper plumber and they were done.

They returned before noon to a mercifully Yasuhara-free office, and Naru left a drowsy Mai at the front desk, snoozing over some files, with a reminder of that they were going out for 'research' in the evening. He may have somewhat misled Mai about the nature of the research they were doing—if she thought the film was a documentary, well, he hadn't really said as much. If she thought Lin was going too, so much the better.

Mai was delighted when she saw which movie it was they were seeing; it was, she said, one that she'd really wanted to watch. Her enthusiasm effectively distracted her from the realization that she was alone, with Naru, in a dark movie theater. Naru didn't really care for this sort of movie—it was all atmosphere, and superficial scares, without any real exploration of the phenomenon of hauntings or the psychology behind spirits. He began to see the attraction, however, when Mai gave a startled squeak about fifteen minutes in, with the sudden appearance of an apparition on the screen, and clutched his arm. She kept hold of him even after it was gone, and hid her face in his shoulder at moments of particular suspense. Naru found the movie itself tedious and pointless, but he rather enjoyed the warm feel of Mai's hands on his arm, and the feeling it gave him when she hid against him. She never would have acted like that outside of the dark of the theater—well, okay, yes, she would, but he didn't get to enjoy it when they were _actually_ facing something threatening—and in spite of himself, he found he liked it.

Mai didn't resist when he steered her into a noodle shop after the show. He would have preferred something nicer, with more atmosphere, but he knew Mai would balk at too expensive a place. There would be time for that later. They discussed the representation of paranormal activity in the film, and the possibility that movies could actually shape real hauntings. Mai was animated, and made several good points—between enthusing about the actors and slurping down noodles. She was adorably flushed and bright-eyed, and Naru enjoyed himself a lot more than he ever thought he would, though he would have died before admitting it.

On the way back to towards Mai's apartment, he kept her hand tucked in the crook of his arm, and glancing down at her bright, happy face, Naru was seized by an unusual feeling of recklessness. It was too early, it was ahead of schedule…but she was just so _cute_. It was aggravating. It was not fair—nothing short of small puppies should be that cute, and he really didn't care for small puppies. As the paused in front of Mai's door, he gave in to temptation and, leaning down, he closed his eyes and brushed her lips with his own.

Mai froze in shock for a moment, before making a strange little noise in her throat and softening. She was warm, so very warm, and she trembled slightly under his caress. It was with regret that Naru drew back after a brief moment—he didn't dare go any further. Not yet.

If the sensation of kissing her had been pleasant, seeing her reaction to him sang through his blood like champagne. She was flushed, her eyes wide and dark, and her lips slightly parted. As he watched, the tip of her tongue darted out to wet her lips, as if to taste his kiss. He wanted to kiss her again, to press against her, and…well, that was the problem. They were both woefully short on romantic experience. He didn't know much about kissing and such things, and he wasn't entirely sure about where things progressed from there. He knew the mechanics of intimacy, of course—but he was rather foggy on how you got from here to there, even if either of them had been ready for something like that. He needed to read up on the subject. There had to be books, right?

He watched her fumble with her keys, and after a moment took them from her and opened the door. She muttered something incoherent and continued to stand there, so he briefly brushed her cheek with his fingers, pushing back a lock of hair, and gently pushed her inside.

"I'll see you in the morning," he said, keeping his voice as normal as he could. "Don't be late."

With that, he shut the door. He waited a moment, and when he didn't hear any sound, said, "Lock the door, dummy."

That got a response—the lock clicked with a sharp snick, and he could hear her muttering fiercely. Probably calling him every name in the book. He smiled slightly, and retreated with a mixture of satisfaction and regret, his hands in his pockets. That had been ahead of schedule, but had gone better than he could have hoped. He didn't even get slapped.

_Next Chapter_: Naru's smug. Mai's confused. Lin's amused. And poor Yasuhara _still_ hasn't escaped from the library. Final chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I _still_ do not own Ghost Hunt; no copyright infringement is intended, etc, etc.

Chapter 8

Mai entered the office with trepidation the next morning. Last night had been wonderful. She really had wanted to see that movie, and Naru had been almost…pleasant about it. He had treated her with a kind of fond indulgence, like and adult giving a small child a treat. He hadn't made any cutting remarks when she clutched his arm, and hadn't even objected when she continued to hold on. He had taken her out for dinner, and they had a good discussion of the movie. Well, good in Naru terms, anyway. He had gotten in a few cutting remarks involving terms like 'superficial' and 'juvenile,' but that was to be expected.

He had insisted on walking her home, and then...Mai still wasn't sure she hadn't imagined the rest. It had been too like a fantasy. He had kissed her so gently, and it had felt so nice...but if it had been a dream, he would have stepped away and looked at her with that soft smile. The smug, self-satisfied gleam in his eyes had been pure Naru. And then grabbing the keys from her, shutting her inside her own apartment, and calling her an idiot—that all had the ring of authentic Naru. Narcissistic bastard.

All of it left her unsure of how to act. Had that been work? A date? Had he meant to kiss her, or had he temporarily gone insane, or been possessed by something? The thoughts went around in her head like a hamster on a wheel. She had hoped his manner in the morning would tell her something, but he acted the same way he always did, the ungracious, selfish narcissist. He might have given her a quick, gleaming sidelong look when she set his tea down, but it was so fleeting she couldn't persuade herself she hadn't imagined it.

Lin saw Mai's flushed uncertainty and drew his own conclusions. Naru was positively radiating smug satisfaction—his plan must be progressing extraordinarily well. He sighed inwardly. If ordinary Naru was difficult, he was afraid that a Naru pampered and flattered by an adoring girlfriend would be insupportable. And having gotten away with this much, Naru was sure to push his luck. He foresaw troubled times ahead.

It was perhaps inevitable that Bou-san and Ayako arrived on that thought. They bustled in demanding iced coffee in high spirits. The monk was quick to observe Mai's abstraction, and immediately called her on it.

"Oho, you're flustered this morning, missy. Hot date with Naru last night?"

Naru himself had heard them come in, and had been lurking inside the doorframe of his office. That cue for an entrance was too much to resist, and he didn't try to resist it very hard. He glided into the lounge like a shadow, enjoying Bou-san's guilty start.

"Yes, not that it's your business," remarked Naru coolly. "Mai," he leaned against the arm of his chair and ghosted his lips across hers in the lightest of touches, "tea." With that, he retreated, pausing only briefly to enjoy Bou-san's bugging eyes, Ayako's gaping mouth, and Mai's blushing confusion. He dwelt with contentment on the thought of Yasuhara's regret at missing this little scene.

As he closed his office door, he heard the monk exclaim, "Mai, are you actually dating Naru?

He paused long enough to hear her response, a faint, confused, "Hai? Maybe?" He closed the door on the resulting babble with satisfaction. Confirmation before witnesses. He took up his black notebook and penned a few concluding notes before closing it with a final snap and placing it contently on the shelf of finished cased. He settled back in his chair and regarded the notebook, reposing in its new spot, with contentment. The groundwork was laid. Now it was just a matter of repetition, to confirm the behavior—more dates, more kisses. Nicer restaurants, he thought with pleasure, and more lingering caresses. He'd found a couple of moderately useful texts, and had some ideas on how to proceed.

He hesitated, and then drew out a fresh, blank notebook. The future stretched out before him, and he had all sorts of plans. Mai had to finish high school, and then there was college. He had some thoughts on the most useful ways she could continue her education. He began to sketch out a timeline, and jotted down some more notes. It didn't do, he thought, to leave important things to chance.

"Mai," he called, "where is my tea?"

Author's Notes: Yes, folks, this is the end. Many thanks to everyone who wrote such overwhelmingly positive reviews! I am planning a follow-up (or two), but in the meantime, enjoy the holidays!


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